Trauma at Prison Island
by Lucy Labrador
Summary: Shadow describes his ordeal on Prison Island after Maria ejected him from the ARK. What made Shadow think that Maria and Gerald wanted everyone to suffer, even though they asked Shadow to protect instead of kill?
1. Chapter 1

All of you know about my love for Maria, with disagreements about my relationship with her, but you all know about her nonetheless. Many of you know the story of how I was created. Some of you know about the early days of my life on the ARK. The stories have been told by many, retold by others and distributed all over the fan base. But what they don't tell you… is what happened when I was released from the ARK, and my ordeal on Prison Island. How did I get to the cryo chamber? Was I given a second, or rather, first chance before I was thrown inside?

Well… listen, and you'll find out.

…

"Maria!" I exclaimed frantically, but it was too late. She'd already pulled the lever, and the GUN soldiers had pulled their triggers. The last time I saw Maria, blood splattered from her torso then onto the floor and walls around her. Then I fell.

This is when we get to the part of my story that you don't know about. What happened after I was launched from the ARK? The reason no one knows yet is partly because GUN kept everything secret, and partly because I haven't spoken about it before either. I never wanted to speak of it. The torment that I suffered left me traumatised for life. Seeing Maria's death didn't push me to insanity, my barbaric treatment at Prison Island did.

I couldn't even cry when I left the ARK in my escape pod. The speeds were too much, and without feeling the wind resistance against my body, my senses were confused and I began to feel queasy. My mind and body were filled with fear and anxiety when I realised that the falling would not last forever, and that it would inevitably end. That's when I would hit the floor, and I had no idea of how much it would hurt.

How I imagined it would hurt, was so much of an underestimation. I'm not even talking about the fall. When I hit the ground, the capsule took the majority of the impact. I was left with mere bruises. A mortal would have been ripped to shreds… but I was okay. The glass began to crack. I gave it a strong kick; the metal on my shoes added to the damage done. I realised that it wouldn't be so easy to break the glass if it was able to survive a fall from space. Gerald was certainly talented when it came to inventing things. He'd created glass that could withstand and descent from outer space… then again, he also created me.

I worked out that there must have been a button I could use to open the pod, unless Gerald happened to have forgotten about what happened when escapees needed to get out of it! I looked around, there were no buttons or latches. I began to kick as hard as I could, frantically trying to escape from my temporary prison. I didn't even know where I was; I hadn't been on Earth before. I was yet to feel the fresh air on my face and breathe in the clean air from the atmosphere.

I began to grunt and scream out as I tried to break the glass, kicking harder and harder as I went. Then I heard a robotic voice sound from the metallic base of the pod.

"Location detected. Prison Island, Earth. Capsule opening," it said in it's mechanical monotonous voice. Then the pod hissed from the bottom and the base popped out from the glass tube. I rolled out onto the muddy floor around it. I seemed to have made a crater where I landed. Seeing this, I realised that the earth on this planet was no where near as strong as the floors on the ARK. I needed to be careful.

Expecting to sink or slip through the floor below me, I stood up, but stayed where I was.

"Hmph, that was a bit slow. Leave me to panic for five minutes before releasing me why don't you," I muttered angrily. Then I remembered something. "Wait! What location did it say?"

I thought back to what it said again.

'Prison Island.'

I jumped out of the crater and looked around me. My surroundings certainly didn't look like a Prison. There were just an assortment of trees and other plants. I kept a look out for any humans that would try to capture me. I darted my eyes around the area of this white jungle. Then it hit me… it hit me so hard, right in the chest. The pain was so much I felt sick. The humans hadn't even gotten to me yet, this was emotional pain.

"Maria… w-would have loved this…" I trembled. My vision went blurry and my cheeks became damp. Was I… crying? I attempted to wipe my tears with my wrist, but the moisture was replaced a few seconds later. I fell to my knees. "Please say she's alright… maybe she survived," I kidded myself. And that was the belief that would get me through the next day. I really thought that, somehow, she was still alive.

I was such a fool; she was long gone.

"She's okay… someone must have found her and kept her alive… they _must _have…" I said through gritted teeth. I was hoping so hard, it was almost as if I were praying to fate itself. Despite that, it still took me a while to get back up. Even if she was alive, the good days were over. I knew where I was headed if I didn't get off of that blasted island soon.

But how?

I didn't know where to teleport myself with Chaos Control. This small space in a jungle was all I knew of the large planet Earth. If I performed Chaos Control, I could have ended up in the ocean, a prison cell, or even the jaw of a shark. In order to teleport, I needed to sense of direction, and since I didn't know what direction to go, I wouldn't risk it.

So I began to trek through the jungle.

_Maria… we will be reunited again._

**Lucy Labrador**


	2. Chapter 2

I shot between the trees like a bullet. At top speed, I went in the direction that I thought was safest. The humans must have thought that everyone that escaped from the prison would take weeks to trek through the jungle in order to reach the ocean, thus deterring them from attempting an escape. But, if I was to end up in that prison, it wouldn't take me long to get to the edge of the island. After all, I could see the edge of the tropical forest already.

_Please be freedom… please._

I skidded and stopped in my tracks when I was met with a tall, metallic fence. On the other side of it was a large and intimidating building. It was surrounded by guards, robots, turrets, lasers and cameras that pointed in all directions. All directions… meaning that something was bound to look in my direction. I gasped as I realised that a human had spotted me. I wasn't so good with stealth in the beginning.

I cursed to myself and attempted to run, but a gunshot was sent in my direction. I ducked to the floor and it missed me by an inch. I began to shake, realising that there was no use in getting up to run. I would only get shot in the process. Knowing this, I couldn't move. I lay on my stomach with my face in the grass. I put my hands on the back of my head and began shaking.

I was such a pathetic coward. I wish I could have done it all differently. Perhaps then, I wouldn't have been imprisoned for so long.

I cowered on the floor until I was found by two soldiers that came to the other side of the fence. They grabbed me by my arms and pulled me to my feet. I was too afraid to move due to the risk of getting shot, so I tried begging instead.

"Please… I don't want to go to prison. I haven't done anything wrong. You're the ones who came and killed everyone. I didn't hurt anyone!" I complained. But it seemed as though the humans weren't listening. They dragged me along so that my feet just touched the floor. I didn't need to walk, as the humans did all of the work. That didn't compensate for the fact that they were taking me inside… _there. _

I was taken through the security gates and up to the large steel door of the huge building. I began to shake as looked at the size of the building. It was huge. It would be very hard to break myself out of it. I had to try Chaos Control. Being in the ocean was better than being here. I shut my eyes tight and cried out,

"Chaos Control!"

I felt dizzy and landed a mere few feet away from the soldiers. I turned around to see the building for a second time. The men ran after me and grabbed me again. Why hadn't it worked? Why didn't I go very far? I tried once more. I went an even shorter distance then fell to my knees. Gerald's words began to echo through my mind.

"_Without the Chaos Emeralds, you can't perform your Chaos abilities to their greatest potential. You're able to go short distances with Chaos Control. It should only be used as a tactic for battle. If you want to use Chaos Control to go large distances, I suggest using a Chaos Emerald."_

"Damn it!" I cursed out loud when I realised that I was screwed. I was dragged back to the entrance and through the door. "Please… I don't deserve this… I'm innocent!" I trembled. The men still didn't listen to me.

I was carried through the long corridors. There was no mercy, no turning back. I looked ahead to see another large door. The kind of door that prisoners went through and never came out. I gulped. This was it. I realise that unless there happened to be a Chaos Emerald near by, there was no escape for me.

When we got through the door I saw another figure getting dragged around the corner. I shouted for him.

"Gerald!" I desperately cried out at the top of my voice. He didn't answer, instead he was taken around the corner and I never got to see him again. Until… ugh…

Then it sunk in. This was really happening. We were getting locked away… for helping humanity. It wasn't fair… Gerald only meant well and so did I. What I'd been told by Gerald and other scientists alike was coming true. They had all told me of the worst case scenario and what I was meant to do if it were to happen… but I never thought it would actually come so I didn't prepare for it. I didn't think GUN would actually come for me, after all the President and leaders of GUN seemed delighted about my progress. Why did they want to end Gerald's project all of a sudden. Why did they want to punish me? What had I done? Didn't we do well enough? Were we being punished for failing… had _my_ idleness caused this?

So many questions and thoughts went through my mind. So many of them were never answered. They all tortured me so much, and the fact that I would never know the answers to some of them… tormented me even more. I don't think I even know the full story to this day. Despite the fact that I work for GUN, I still don't know all of the answers or the full story. I don't think I want to know the full story, it'll only make my mistakes clearer, and it will be harder to live with those failures. If I'd acted how I was supposed to on that fateful day… perhaps things would have been different… and Maria and I could have lived together for a little longer…

…

…

No, no. These aren't tears… I just… need to take a moment to myself. I'll be right back… just wait… a while…

**Lucy Labrador**


	3. Chapter 3

I'm back. Where was I? Oh yes. I got checked into Prison Island and reality hit me. Gerald was getting punished, I was getting punished and everyone else was probably dead… and… it was all my fault. I would have given up right there if it wasn't for the hope in my heart, the hope that Maria was still alive somehow. I would NOT accept her death until I saw her dead body. The humans could not destroy what little sanity I had left.

I was dragged down the hall that Gerald was taken through. We went down a lift that seemed to last forever. Dim lights from outside of the elevator flashed onto our faces for split seconds until we reached the bottom. All was silent. No one was here. Was there an are just for people like me… experiments? Was I the first? Then I heard Gerald's voice shouting at the end of the corridor. I couldn't work out what he was saying but he sounded angry. I hoped he was giving the soldiers a piece of his mind and teaching them a lesson.

I was dragged along the corridor and put into the prison cell. There was a small window in the door, I looked through it once it slammed. There was no sign of Gerald anywhere. There weren't even any other cells around me. He must have been further down in a different place. The room I was in was very small. The length of the room was only the length of the door itself and there was just enough room to sit down on the cold metallic floor. I pressed myself up against the door and called out to anyone who might have been near.

"How long will I be here?" I asked, believing that I actually had a prison sentence that I would be released from one day. I was so deluded… so innocent. Little did I know that my time there would make me grow up and realise the harsh reality of everything. My sentence was eternity.

"This cell is only temporary, you'll be in a more secure cell very soon… we just need to sort a few things out first," came a voice. I looked through the window that was just above eye level by standing on my tip toes. There was a man in a different uniform to the others. He must have been a commander of some kind.

"How long will I be there for?" I asked worriedly. The man laughed at my foolishness and walked away. I fell back, curled up against the back wall and put my hands on my head. The future did not look bright for me. But at least Maria was still alive… right?

Ugh… I can't stand how deluded I was. I was an idiot and a fool. If I could travel back in time, I would surely slap my past self in the face and tell him to get a hold of reality. Maria is gone! Stop kidding yourself, you'll only make the truth harder to accept! She's gone! Now move on! Don't waste your time dwelling on the past like I did…

I must have sat for several hours in sorrow before I realised that I could escape via Chaos Control. All I had to do was teleport to the other side of the door then find Gerald and get the both of us out of there. I'd had plenty of time to let my Chaos energy recover. The plan seemed flawless at the time. But I wish I hadn't done it. I wish I would have stayed in my cell, for at least two more minutes. Then I wouldn't have seen another image that would scar me even further.

"Chaos Control!" I yelled and I ended up outside of my cell. The guards in the corridor chased after me as I ran further down the hall and turned the corner. Using my skates I easily outran them. I just hoped that they wouldn't use their weapons. Then I burst through the door at the end of the hall and saw it.

BANG!

I stopped in shock, and time seemed to stop. Gerald was… shot, and I happened to walk in the very second it happened. My mouth gaped open and I fell back onto my rear in disbelief. The high ranked GUN member turned around and pointed his gun at me all of a sudden, then put it to his side when he noticed it was me.

"How did Project SHADOW escape from his cell? Put him back immediately, and keep and eye on him until we have his permanent residence ready!" the man yelled.

I put my hands up to my face and ran my fingers from my forehead and down to the bottom of my eyes. I tugged at the bottoms of them as the images flashed through my head again.

_Gerald… shot… like Maria… Gerald… gone… I was… too late._

My shoulders were dragged from behind and my stationary body was slid across the floor. I was shaking profoundly, unable to move. I was in a trance similar to the ones I have when experiencing a flash back. Unable to react and unaware of the world around me. The imagery that went through my mind over and over, traumatised me more and more. Maria… and Gerald… both getting shot, one after the other, then at the same time. Like images overlapping each other. Both of them… dead?

"WHY!?" I cried out and noticed I was in my cell. Unaware of how I got there, panic filled my body. I didn't know what was happening to me. Whatever it was, it was serious. This was the beginning of my trip to insanity, and when my memories began to twist and change.

_What was it Maria said to me again? What did she want? She wanted me to save the planet right? Or… did she want me to… save her from dying? What was it!? Gerald's wish… what was it? For me to do my best and help mankind or… punish it? I can't remember anymore…_

I thought to myself about my memories. I was delirious, shaking in a cold sweat and having fake flashbacks. I didn't get the correct versions of those memories back until I recovered from amnesia since I had to find everything out manually. Eventually, it all came back, but correctly this time. How I mistook Maria's pleads for peace for a request for revenge. Gerald however, changed his mind last-minute like me after all. He WAS good, I swear. He did ask me to do good, but GUN drove him over the edge. Before killing him. But… how?

I can only guess they did it in the same way that they did it to me. They showed me something that killed me on the inside and would leave me grieving for the rest of my life. It must have been the same thing that they showed Gerald. But they would leave me alone for a few more hours for my own thoughts to drive me madness before they would add the last piece of the puzzle to insanity.

**Lucy Labrador**


	4. Chapter 4

I began to rock back and forth on the spot and groan words to myself.

"Maria… please… come here and save me. I know you're alive, all you need to do is save me now… Gerald's gone… there's no hope…" I mumbled and shut my eyes tight. "Maria… please… Maria…" I groaned on. The tears began to fall heavily. "Maria, I need you… more than ever now."

I really had made another turn towards insanity. Even if Maria had survived the shot, she couldn't come to Prison Island and save me. I was praying for the impossible. I must have been left to babble to myself for a long time before my attention was caught by the leader of those murderers.

"PROJECT Shadow… I have something to give you!" He yelled. I lifted my head and looked up to the window. Something was thrown inside. I leaned forward and crawled an inch or two over to it. It was a white piece of card with nothing on it. I cautiously lifted my hand to flip it over.

I wish I hadn't flipped it over. What happened to me next was the turning point.

"Stop talking about that Maria girl of yours… she's gone," he said.

I screamed out frantically when I saw the image on the other side of the card. I fell back against the wall and bawled out in agony. I put my hands to my head and tugged at my quills. I banged my head against the wall several times as I sobbed and shrieked. My head hurt too much… the image was so disturbing, I wanted to get it out of my mind. I clawed and grabbed at the quills on my head and shook it as hard as I could. The image wouldn't go.

I lifted my head to point at the ceiling and yelled at the top of my voice.

"MARIA!"

My throat burned when I finished screaming. I tried again, but my words were caught in my throat by my need to cry. I fell to my knees and sobbed. That last shed of hope left me… and I had nothing left to hold onto. Nothing to fight for. It was only me left… no one could save me. I wouldn't save myself, because if I did, I would have no one to return to. All of my friends and family were… dead.

I glanced at the paper again. The piece of card was a photo of Maria. She was… dead on the floor. With blood all over her torso. The beautiful dress she wore was ruined… and more importantly… the owner of the dress was ruined too. This was the proof I needed to get those foolish thoughts out of my head.

"You're so pathetic…" the man said and I heard his footsteps get quieter and quieter. He was gone, and he'd left me with that photo.

It felt like my head was spinning. Probably because I'd banged it against the wall so many times and shook it like a rattle for a full minute. But partly due to the fact that I was in despair and my mind couldn't take it. I was in emotional agony.

I fell forward onto my stomach and curled up my body to comfortably fit in the little space I had on the freezing cold metallic floor. The photo was right there by my face, a look down put the image right before my eyes. I sobbed even harder. Shaking as a cried, I covered the bottom half of the photo with my hand to hide Maria's blood stained body and dress. Only her face showed now… and it looked peaceful. She was asleep. And I would soon follow.

"G-goodnight… M-Maria…" I sobbed and fell into unconsciousness.

So many voices flowed through my mind. Memories were corrupting in my head. And twisted more and more.

"For all of the people on that planet, Shadow. Help them and bring peace,"

"For all of the people on that planet, Shadow. Help them and destroy GUN."

"For me Shadow, destroy all of the people on that planet."

"Destroy the planet, Shadow. For me."

"I need revenge Shadow. Destroy the planet."

Maria's were mixed in my mind from a plea for peace to a request for revenge. Over and over again her demands changed like a game of Chinese whispers. Her original words were forgotten and her legacy tainted.

_Yes, Maria,_ I thought_. I promise you… revenge!_

"I created you to do good, Shadow. I need you to help the human race to develop."

"I created you to do your best, Shadow. I need you to help me to destroy the human race."

"I created you to destroy, Shadow. I need you to destroy the human race."

"Destroy them, I created you to destroy them. You must destroy them!"

Gerald's words were also changed. Thinking back to it all now, I feel ashamed. I let my mind become ill and it caused me to do so many awful things. I damaged buildings and attempted to destroy the planet because of false memories. And, what if I were captured and questioned? What would I have said? That Maria and Gerald told me to do it? I would have tainted their images! Maria and Gerald are good, and none of them would ever ask for me to even hurt a fly, let alone destroy the planet.

If it weren't for that pink hedgehog I may have never realised the truth. And if I'd never gotten amnesia the original truth and how it changed would never have come back to me either.

I turned insane overnight and it was all GUN's fault. I would have co-operated if they had taken me away peacefully and let everyone live. All of the destruction that I caused after my release was their fault; they brought it all upon themselves. They made me into the monster that I am today. The callous monster that doesn't feel a speck of guilt when he kills; the one who would have destroyed the whole planet and enjoyed it. I know I'm wrong in the head… but it's not my fault. And I'm able to admit that I 'need help,' so I'm not completely broken, right?

I heard the door to my cell open so I woke up. My eyes snapped open. My brain filled with new information. I only had a new objective: destroy the human race. It seemed as if they all deserved it at the time. After what the humans had done to me, they needed to be taught a lesson. Not being a human myself, I assumed that all humans were the same. I know differently now. There are just a few evil souls that make the whole race look bad, when the majority are good. That's not how I saw it at the time.

I rose to my feet and conjured up all of the power that I could. This was it. For Maria… and for Gerald. I would destroy them all, or die trying.

"Chaos… SPEAR!"

**Lucy Labrador**


	5. Chapter 5

My spear hit the man nearest to my cell. The high ranked human.

"Commander!" one of the soldiers yelled. Sadly, my aim was way off.

"He just got my arm. Seize him now!" the man, who I knew was the Commander by then, yelled while he held his upper arm in pain to stop the bleeding.

I leapt to the side and ran around the group of humans. I was too fast for them, they couldn't catch me. A shower of bullets came my way but none of them got me. My aim was way off, but so was their's. To be fair, I failed to hit a stationary target in the right place, and they were trying to hit something they couldn't even see. I must have been a blur to them. Running around the room, I picked up speed and ran on the walls, eventually making my way to the top.

That's when I jumped from the ceiling and smashed into the group of humans. I landed on one of them and snapped its neck. I jumped off of his shoulders before he dropped to the floor. The Commander attempted to shoot me but I sent a weak spear at his pistol, and it was knocked out of his hand- all while I was in midair. Then I landed on the wall and pushed myself off of it, and punched my way through three humans. All of them fell to the floor clutching their stomachs.

I screamed out in rage and something inside of me ignited. My inhibitor rings released themselves from my wrists and ankles. The four of them clanged when they landed on the floor. About twenty men must have flooded the corridor, hearing the cries of the humans.

I gave a laugh of arrogance and mischief. They were no match.

"Chaos Control!" I yelled and teleported myself up to the ceiling again. Before I could fall to the floor, I let a rainfall of Chaos Spears impale all of the humans in the room. The only one left was the Commander. "Any last words, human? Before I kill you and the rest of your race?"

He sighed and looked at me.

"Well done, hedgehog," he began. I lifted an eyebrow in confusion. Was he applauding me? Something wasn't right, but I let him continue nonetheless. "You fooled us all into thinking you were useless by cowering like an idiot."

I bared my teeth in anger. How dare he insult me like that! He carried on.

"And now, you, will destroy the whole of my race, single-handed."

I noticed sarcasm in his voice and narrowed my eyes at him.

"I don't like your tone, human. What are you trying to say?" I growled.

"Hmm, is it hot in here?"

"Stop messing around, human!"

_Come to think of it… I do feel a little dizzy. _

I realised that something was off. I look on the floor where I stood before my battle begun. My inhibitor rings were there… therefore they weren't on my wrists. Consequently, I lost a massive amount of Chaos Energy by just standing there to listen to his last words. My eyes widened when I realised my mistake. I fell to my knees and held my head in pain. I coughed out in pain and weakness.

"You really are pathetic…" were the last words I heard from him before I passed out.

Next thing I knew, I was in a container with a glass case on the top. I looked up to see the Commander working a machine of some kind. I banged on the glass to escape but it came to no avail. This was just like the glass on the escape pod. Could this prison have been another invention of Gerald's? Perhaps he created it if I were to disobey him and become dangerous, and the humans were using it for their own goals.

I gasped and looked at my wrists; the rings were back. I turned to the human outside and yelled.

"What's happening?"

"We thought that you were useless, judging by how afraid you acted. But now we know your true strength. You're a dangerous creature, Project SHADOW. You need to be encased… permanently," he explained.

"You can't do this to me… not after what you've put me through! You're a disgusting creature! I don't deserve this!" I cried out and hit the glass with my fists and feet as hard as I could. This was hard to do in the laying down position.

"If you had behaved, we would have given you a comfortable cell to live in where no one would ever find you. We plan to keep your creation secret. That's why we killed and captured everyone." I narrowed my eyes at him in hatred. "Well, not everyone. My son was on that ARK during the raid. He was taken back safely. It's a shame I had to order the death of his friends… but those are the sacrifices we must make. He'll make a great Commander when I retire in a few decades from now," he babbled on and on. It became tiresome to listen to.

"And what does all of this have to do with me?" I asked irritably.

"Ha! Nothing, because you won't be around to see any of it! Goodbye, Project SHADOW. The world will never hear of your existence as you spend eternity frozen on this Island, forever!"

I heard the click of a button, and the container I was in slowly descended under the ground level. I could no longer see the human. All of a sudden everything became bitterly cold. I coughed and choked, then called out to him.

"Don't do this to me! You'll regret it! This place won't last forever! I will be back, and I have plan! You will all suffer how I suffered!" I cried out. The majority of my body was frozen. "You'll regret this!" I shouted out as loudly as I could and shut my eyes tightly before the rest of my body was frozen, including my face. I couldn't speak or breath, but I was still conscious.

_Mark my words… as soon as I get out of this… the humans will pay for what they did to me._

And that's the last thing I remember before Eggman released me, and everyone knows that story. But at least you all know what caused me to do what I did when I was released, and why I was so hell-bent on getting those emeralds and destroying everything.

So that's what happened. You can all stop wondering now. Hmph. I'm out of here.

**I noticed a problem with writing in Shadow's POV. I imagined emotion in his voice while I wrote it, but there's no way to express that emotion. There is no way for me to say that he sounds angry when he tells you his story. That's a drawback of writing in first person. If anyone knows if there's a way around this, then please tell me. **

**Lucy Labrador**


End file.
